It may not have been a match for the ages, the roar from the Madrid's home stadium was unmistakable. After a long wait, Jude Bellingham once again found himself before the south end with his arms outstretched, listening to the fans' rendition of Hey Jude. After a shoulder injury and uncertainty about his position, he scored his opening strike of the campaign, eventually delivering a narrow win for Real Madrid over a Juventus side that put up a fight. “It was a tough battle,” stated the Belgian goalkeeper.
Decisive Stops Secure the Win
The shot-stopper knew better than anyone, having to save a clear chance from the Serbian striker and produce another decisive save from the French midfielder in the final minute. The win puts Madrid on a strong tally and the opposition team outside the qualifying spots. At the end of a match with plenty of attempts but little elegance, the Juventus manager may reflect on a decent start, with those opportunities representing a wasted moment around the closing stages; the team's reality however presents concerning reading.
“A side from Italy in difficulty is doubly threatening,” the Madrid coach had warned beforehand.
The Turin-based club, which hadn’t won since September, posed Madrid problems at the start and once more near the end. Madrid dominated the ball, with a significant advantage, but Juventus threatened on the counter, especially with the French defender surging forward and Vlahović linking up, firing off a dozen attempts compared to the home side's 27.
Promising Start for Away Side
They had started well, without a doubt. After just three minutes, they thought they were in front, Vlahović a little unlucky to be penalized for pulling Éder Militão. Shortly after, the Madrid defender had to intervene in front of Vlahović when Kalulu broke free on the right flank. And soon after, Weston McKennie's shot was deflected wide.
Next, from the defender's powerful strike, was a more impressive save. Fifteen minutes had passed. However, quickly the Italians' momentum had dissipated too. Madrid took control. Largely it was all a bit functional, however, and the top chances fell to the French midfielder, who wouldn’t be Alonso’s striker of choice. A couple were headed over, a third one deflected wide; an additional headed opportunity was missed by Militão.
Guler Shines
Most creative play were provided by the young Turk. Güler, whose football was the nearest thing there was to fluidity, was always involved. His neat stop and turn saw him clip to the back post for Bellingham.
There was not much sign of Kylian Mbappé yet, but when he finally emerged it was the nearest Madrid came to a goal. Initially his attempt was denied by Michele Di Gregorio, who would make eight saves. Then some exquisite dribbling saw him evade Andrea Cambiaso repeatedly until he tumbled to the ground and laid off to Militão to fire over.
Second-Half Drama
Militão dived to stop Kalulu at the outset of the second period, and then came the regulation save from the keeper when unexpectedly Vlahović was through. The “inadvertent pass” had been remarkable, with the defender intercepting a ball inside his own penalty box and the sphere deflecting from the instep of his foot directly through the middle to past the center circle. Sprinting after it, huge space opening, the striker outpaced his marker, using his strength and heading into the area where the keeper saved.
Then the usual pattern happened, the stop compensated for by the score that comes after it. A burst from Vinícius Júnior created it, working himself enough room amid four men to release a driven effort which struck the upright. Lurking in that forward position was Bellingham. The breakthrough found, Madrid ought to have sealed the game, Mbappé stopped by Di Gregorio and Fede Valverde seeing his volley blocked by Gatti. Subsequently Di Gregorio made a brilliant double stop from the forward and Brahim Díaz.
It was not the only one: as the match was slipping away, the defender had to make a incredible last-ditch tackle as Madrid were exposed and at the mercy of Loïs Openda momentarily alone in the penalty box. Finally in the dying moments Courtois dived to deny Thuram, his work complete. For Juve, there was no way back, the opening goal of the campaign the last of the encounter.
“It’s a great feeling, a while now since I’ve scored, a period out and thinking of that moment, back in the Champions League and against a major opponent. To score a winner, here at home, it’s unbelievable. I felt comfortable, excellent. To play well was crucial and to net the match-winner helps the team greatly.”
As for his form, he added: “It wasn't that last year was a failure, with fifteen strikes, fourteen setups, but I know the perception was that it was poorer. But I was a part of that, how we didn’t play as well last year, there were still positive spells but not the level I aim to play at, not the level like the debut season. Now I’ve had my shoulder surgery, a different coach, he’s got that system, how we intend to play…. You have to learn from it.”
